CE3 Workshop a Hub of Resources for Ohio Energy Businesses

Seaira Christian-Daniels
October 25, 2013

On Friday, September 27, 2013, CE3 hosted "A Workshop for Efficiency, Emissions, and Energy Choices in Ohio," to help small, medium, and large businesses achieve their energy cost-savings and emissions goals. The workshop in Columbus, Ohio, convened nearly 100 businesses leaders, and was funded in part by a U.S. EPA grant that allows CE3 to provide educational programming to stakeholders in Ohio about compliance with the EPA's Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program.

Keynote speaker Senator Rob Portman(R-OH) spoke about energy efficiency from both a federal and state policy perspective. Though government budgetary issues caused the senator to deliver his remarks via Skype from Washington, D.C., he addressed energy independence and the viability of the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act. The bipartisan bill, co-sponsored by Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), if passed will bring industrial competitiveness and energy security to Ohio and the nation. The Senator says that this bill will make it less expensive for American companies to secure an energy future and decrease American dependence on foreign energy sources. The Senator discussed his "all of the above energy policy" which includes producing more energy and being more efficient. The two, he said, are symbiotic. "Good energy policy can be good economic policy as well," he said.

The workshop had two tracks and featured two corporate perspectives of energy efficiency: efficiency and emissions and shale and natural gas. Before the morning breakout sessions, Frank O'Brien-Bernini, chief sustainability officer of Owens Corning, gave a dynamic presentation detailing how companies can save money by being more energy efficient. For example, through Owens Corning's roof shingle recycling program, they were able to recycle 500,000tons of roofing materials and save participating contractors about $10 million in2012. To view more of this presentation, click here.

For a second corporate perspective, Karen Heyob, facilities department manager for Honda of North America, LLC, discussed how Honda has continued to improve its vehicles and manufacturing processes by incorporating technologies such as its earth dreams technology system, which is used in the Honda Accord Hybrid. The earth dreams technology system gives Honda engines more acceleration power while lowering their fuel emissions; engines with the Honda earth dreams technology are more efficient and lightweight.

One of the achievements of which Honda is most proud is improving the energy efficiency of their painting technology. Innovations in production and post-production technology have made Honda is one of the greenest automobile manufacturers in the world. To view more of this presentation, click here.

Many have heard of the book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, but Mike Dombrowski, an energy efficiency manager at Glatfelter discussed the Pew Center on Global Climate Change's seven habits of highly effective energy efficiency companies. They include the following:

Having efficiency as a core strategy

Having support from leadership within the organization

Making SMART energy goals

Tracking and measuring those goals

Putting substantial resources into energy efficiency

Showing results

Communicating those results

Glatfelter uses the Pew Center's seven habits to accomplish the company vision illustrated with the "Glatfelter compass." The Glatfelter compass lists all of the values that guide Glatfelter's business practices. They include integrity, financial discipline, mutual respect, customer focus, environmental responsibility, and social responsibility.

Eaton Corporation Public Affairs Officer Christopher Hess discussed how Eaton Corporation built its sustainability policy a different way using five pillars to support the environment. Here are a few of his main points outlining their corporate energy strategy:

Increasing shareholder value

Improving the natural environment

Expanding transparency

Fostering a thriving workplace

Building strong communities

Together, he said, those pillars foster a responsible use of resources.

Following on the theme of utilizing Ohio's natural gas raised in Senator Portman's speech, panelists Tom Stewart, executive vice president of the Ohio Oil and Gas Association, Jenn Klein, president of the Ohio Chemistry Technology Council, and Tom Mahlberg, technical manager for Kraton Polymers U.S., LLC, all discussed ways in which shale and natural gas can increase Ohio manufacturing. In the afternoon panel entitled "How Natural Gas is Changing Ohio Manufacturing," moderator Christiane Schmenk, former director of the Ohio Development Services Agency, set the stage by presenting statistics about the number of Ohio manufacturing employees that have benefitted from increased development of natural gas. Tom Stewart then discussed the Appalachian Basin Oil Well and the economic boundaries to using shale. Jenn Klein concluded by discussing a common thread in the production of natural gas: the related chemical industry benefits.

To close the workshop, attendees gathered in a final plenary session to participate in a discussion about energy financing techniques with panelists John Molinaro of the Appalachian Partnership for Economic Growth, Chadwick Smith of the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority, and Nicole Stika, Senior Director of Energy Services of the Coalition of Smaller Enterprises (COSE). Reinforcing the presentations of several companies during the day, energy efficiency does not have to come at the expense of a company's profit margin. In fact, energy efficiency practices can provide numerous cost saving benefits for businesses in Ohio through a variety of best practices and implementation mechanisms.

As CE3 Director Scott Miller said in closing, "Developing a diverse portfolio of energy in an environmentally-responsible way demonstrates the power and ingenuity of Ohio businesses." Equipped with insight from colleagues and fellow stakeholders, workshop participants were able to return to their businesses with tangible examples of how energy-responsible practices can foster a more competitive company and help sustain a cleaner environment.